Contra Costa Times editorial: Now it is finally time to get to work

Barack Obama has been re-elected president of the United States and his supporters are joyous and giddy, while the supporters of Republican candidate Mitt Romney are depressed, distraught and, in some causes, downright incredulous.

It happens every four years, like clockwork.

But this year things are different. Both groups have tonight and maybe tomorrow to deal with their respective emotions, but then it is time to get back to work. We have spent far too much time and money on this election; now we must set about the business of running the country. And that will not be easy.

From the looks of it, the landscape that has dominated Washington for the past two years will not have changed much when the smoke clears. The Democrats will hold on to the majority in the Senate and, of course, will continue to control the White House, while the Republicans will hold the majority in the U.S. House with what has been somewhat of a fractured coalition of traditional Republicans and right-wing tea party types.

That has been a prescription for gridlock for two years and the country simply cannot afford two more years of such nonsense.

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While the Washington divide is reflective of the polarized politics in the country, gridlock is not healthy and it simply must stop. Although voters were sharply divided on the candidates and on nearly every issue, the one bit of common ground that pollsters universally found among the electorate was that the voters are sick to death of Washington gridlock.

We understand and wholeheartedly agree. This nation has some huge problems that need solutions now. They are real problems that need real solutions. Those solutions need to be at once quick and long-lasting. We would like for them to be bipartisan compromises. Grand bargains, if you will. But that will require a change in attitude in the Washington sandbox.

We understand that many who win elections want to hold onto their principles as they help govern. We respect and applaud that, but this is not a game. It is serious business. There should be no greater principle than the overall good of the nation and we firmly believe that has been missing from the equation in Washington for some time.

Like we said, America has a litany of serious problems that simply must be addressed in an adult manner.

Finding a reasonable way to avoid the upcoming "fiscal cliff" should be first on the docket, serious tax reform should follow closely, meaningful and fair immigration reform can no longer be ignored and we must continue efforts to improve our delivery of education. Those are but a few.

And, of course, final preparation and implementation of the Affordable Care Act -- or Obamacare, as it is called -- must commence. Yes, this election result coupled with the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year means ACA will be implemented. Now we must do that in the best and most efficient way possible.

We congratulate President Obama and all of the winners in Congress. We urge them all to take a day or two to rest and then begin rolling up their sleeves for something more than a photo op.